


Invisible Girls

by C-K-Mack (CKM_Writes)



Series: In the Shadows - Pitch Perfect Rare Pair Week 2018 [5]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Comedy, F/F, High School, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 07:24:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14303730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CKM_Writes/pseuds/C-K-Mack
Summary: Blending in is cool, but feeling invisible... not so much.  Jessica feels like she's drifting through life like a ghost, until someone finally sees her.





	Invisible Girls

Jessica

"Jessica, your mother and I come from an ancient clan of ..."

"You both come from the same clan, isn't that like... you know, gross?"

"What? Oh, no honey, we are at least fourth cousins, it's fine. You have ten fingers and toes, right? Anyway, we come from an ancient Japanese clan of ninjas and I need to..."

"Um, Dad, you know we're white, right?"

"That's how strong our ninjutsu is. We can blend in everywhere, hide in plain sight."

"Like, lily white, Dad."

"Lily... that reminds me, beware of the Onakura..."

"Time for your medicine, John," the orderly said, injecting something into her father's arm. "Say good night to your daughter."

Dad's eyes went glassy for a moment, but then his mind seemed to clear. "Of course, it's that time isn't it? Good luck on your first day of high school, honey."

"Thanks, Dad," Jessica said, kissing his bearded cheek and hugging him with a sad smile.

The ride home was quiet. Mom never spoke when they visited Dad in the hospital, but she did hold Jessica's hand the whole time. When they got back to the house, Mom made dinner and ironed Jessica's outfit for her first day, acting like everything was fine. Jessica didn't have the heart to break whatever illusion she was living under, or maybe she was just to scared to speak up. She didn't need both of her parent's put away, after all.

 

***

Ashley

"Colonel Posen, so glad you could join us for dinner." Father said as he welcomed the tall man in. 

Ashley did as Father always told her to do, sat quietly in the corner, invisible, watching. The guest certainly carried himself a military bearing. Colonel Posen was tall and lean, probably 6'4 1/2", about 183 pounds. His hair was neatly cropped, but you could still see signs of graying around the edges, maybe a few years older than her father.

"Stop that Davy. I've told you a million times just to call me a Jim."

"We'll be calling you General Posen pretty soon after all of your recent exploits!"

"I just made full bird, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Jim barked a laugh and smacked Ashley's dad on the back. "I'm just kidding. It's like I always tell my daughter, 'If you're not here to win, get the hell outta Kuwait!"

Father laughed along. Almost imperceptibly, he shifted his eyes to Ashley and back to the colonel. "Speaking of your daughter. She's entering her senior year isn't she?"

"Oh, yes! She's the valedictorian, of course. I'm so proud of Aubrey. I just wish I could be around more to let her know it."

"That can be tough," Father said with a nod. "Thanks again for coming to dinner. I know you're only at Fort McCoy for a few days. My daughter is starting high school tomorrow, so I know how time gets away from you."

"Oh, that's right. You have a daughter, what was her name again?"

"I'm Ashley," Ashley stood and held out her hand. She didn't miss the spark of glee, and pride, in Father's eyes when the colonel jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there, young lady," Colonel Posen said.

Ashley grinned, "Yeah, I get that a lot."

****

The first day of high school was pretty much what Jessica had expected and dreaded. She wondered if she needed to take another shower. She didn't think she had made any major fashion faux pas, she saw other people wearing the same shoes, even similar outfits and hairstyles. For a moment she panicked, wondering if the whole school was whispering about 'the girl with the crazy dad'. But nobody acted strangely when she asked for help finding her classes and everyone, teachers and classmates alike, seemed nice enough when she spoke up, but then they went back to acting like she wasn't there. Even though she was generally sweet and, she thought, sociable, she didn't want to impose on people who didn't seem interested in talking. Standing out was never her strength and it seemed like she was doomed to another lonely year eating lunch alone at a table full of people.

"You get used to it."

Jessica almost ignored the voice assuming it was intended for someone else, but the sweet voice was accompanied by a less sweet shoulder bump.

"Oh my gosh, you can see me?"

The dark haired girl chuckled. "Calm down, Casper. Yes, I can see you."

Jessica pouted. "You think being invisible is funny, uncle Stinky?"

The girl raised an eyebrow, "Stinky? I use a neutralizing body shampoo. I literally smell like nothing. You, on the other hand," she leaned into Jessica's space and took a leisurely sniff. "What is the point of using an expensive body gel like Coco Mademoiselle if you are going to ruin it with a four dollar bottle of Pantene for your hair?"

Jessica flushed. Whether from embarrassment or the other girls proximity or the seemingly intimate action of smelling her hair, it was all too much. She stood up with an annoyed hiss, "I happen to like the way my hair smells."

***

Ashley sighed as she watched the blonde girl walk away, the rest of the table oblivious to her abrupt departure. She had noticed the girl's aura from the first time they passed each other in the hallway, earlier that morning. She imagined that their first meeting would go a little smoother, but making friends was not one of the skills that her father put effort into teaching her. Maybe she would try again tomorrow.

It turned out, she didn't have to wait that long to see her again. Ashley walked into her music class and sat in the desk immediately to the right of the blond girl. The girl glanced at her briefly then stared back down at her cell phone. According to roll call, her name was Jessica Smith. When the teacher called Ashley's name, she noticed that 'Jessica' looked at her a little longer, and was that a hint of a smile on her face? Maybe this day wouldn't be total loss after all.

The last class of the day was Algebra and Ashley was ready to just go home and crash. She could try again tomorrow to make friends with the cute girl she met earlier. The one who smelled amazing, even underneath all of the perfume and product, like honey. She could practically still smell it. She could actually still smell it.

"Hi, Ashley," Jessica said as she took the seat next to her. "Sorry I called you Stinky. It was a 'friendly ghost' reference. You did call me Casper. I thought you would get it."

"I got it. I um," Ashley took a breath to calm her heart, but that just refreshed the scent in her nose. "You smell good. I mean, you don't smell bad. I just. Can we start over? Hi, I'm awkward, I mean Ashley."

Jessica giggled. "Hi Ashley. I'm Jessica." She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered. "And awkward looks good on you." Wait. Did Jessica seriously just wink at Ashley?

Ashley shook her head again and finally found her bearings before laughing. "You are getting me back for lunch, aren't you?"

Jessica giggled again and touched Ashley's shoulder. "I think you and I are going to be fast friends."


End file.
